Season of Amber
by Epiren
Summary: A what-if story between two individuals. My entry for the Beast Lair's fanfiction contest.


Disclaimer: I am not Nasu or Takeuchi and do not own Type-Moon. Ergo, I do not own Tsukihime and its assorted franchise.

Season of Amber

He is sitting on a bench, his hands clasped together as he wears a nervous expression. _It's alright_, he tells himself; he has sorted out everything, his wallet is in his pocket – stuffed with cash, of course – and he is pretty sure that the suit-wearing man sitting on that bench is his family-appointed body-guard.

But he still nervously wrings his hands. And as if just noticing that, he forces them apart and takes a deep breath. _Why am I acting as if it's my first date?_ He mentally asks himself. _I've dated plenty of girls before!_ But despite his thoughts, it does little to calm the butterflies fluttering about in his stomach. Grimacing slightly, he settles the waiting by resuming his prior activity: watching the pedestrians.

Sure, it isn't a healthy habit, but nonetheless he has nothing to do. It is late enough in the morning that both the 'rush hour' and the stragglers had passed, but there had been a few people walking by. Bland people really, going about their businesses without a care. There had been a young businessman, sloppily dressed, running through the park and garnering stares. There had been a group of young men and woman chatting amiably as they passed by. They had been a couple walking by as they held hands-

But a glance to either side reveals no one in sight. Sighing, he leans back onto the bench's back rest and checks the time. The clock on a distant post reads half-past ten – so he has to wait another thirty minutes. "Why did I come so early?" he murmurs to himself. He isn't a naïve school boy!

Regardless though, the wait is fraying his nerves and the butterflies in his stomach increase in number. Would shutting his eyes for a little get rid of them? He tries to remember if that's true. He vaguely remembers someone saying so; Glancing down both ways again, the young man settles in his bench to let his eyes have a brief respite.

His insides are

broiling,

burning,

melting,

squirming as if it is made out of worms. Nausea is building up in the back of his head and dizziness is threatening to overwhelm him. But an alluring darkness is slowly creeping up on him,

Slowly

Inch by painstaking inch

His mind is being eaten alive. But he does not scream. He does not scream in pain, does not scream in rage, does not scream for help, for relief, for salvation, for the pain to end, for _.

Someone is behind him. Who is it? Is it help? He turns around and sees a boy.

It's _. He can do it. He can _ him if he _s.

Disguising his happiness with a sigh, he whispers,

"... Please, _ya."

His eyes snap open."!" A blinding glare assaults his organs and instinctively he shuts them close. But already flashing spots are imprinted on the back of his eyelids and a pounding migraine assaults his still-waking consciousness. "...gah," he groans.

_What was that? _"What was that?" He asks himself. Nausea threatens his hold on consciousness, and had he not been sitting down he would have collapsed onto the floor. Instead though, he sags onto the backrest.

"A dream...?" he answers his earlier question. _Yes, a dream. A dream about children; they were standing on a rooftop and talking. Why? Why were they there? _His throat is parched; Why? _What were they talking about? Who were they? _His breath is coming out as pants. He really needs a drink. _I've seen them before... _He runs his tongue over his dry lips as he gets up –

Bonk! Something not so gently jabs into his forehead. He yelps in surprise as he crashes back onto the rest, cradling the sore spot with his hands.

"Tohno-chan, are you awake now?" A mocking voice calls out. A mocking, _familiar_voice. It takes all of one second to put a face to it in his stunned state.

With a small growl the boy jumps up and confronts the person-

A girl with empty eyes

staring out the window

"-ki?"

That voice calls him back. Blinking clear his eyes, he finds that that... vision had been replaced by a pair of worried amber eyes, barely an inch from his face. "!" He jerks back in surprise.

"Ko-ko-"

"Are you alright?" The girl asks, completely abandoning her earlier teasing tone as she peers worriedly into his eyes.

He stares blankly back at her. _Where'd she come from?_ He briefly wonders. Aware of her mindful stare, he replies, "Yeah, I'm fine. It's just that-" he pauses. _What was that? _He mentally asks himself.

Predictably, there is no answer. "... it's nothing," He finishes lamely, fighting the urge to scratch the back of his head.

"?" She purses her lips together in confusion... but they soon turn into a scowl as a stern glint comes into her eyes. The boy shivers, as he realizes what's going to happening: she's getting into her '_Onee-san_ Mode.'

"Tohno-san," she says, her voice carrying a hard, warning tone, "It's _not_ nothing. I had called your name several times and you didn't even hear me!" She jabs her finger into his chest, forcing him back a step, "If there is something wrong, you can tell me."

She jabs again, and as he takes another step back, the back of his knees catch the edge of the bench. He falls onto the bench, but that provides no respite for him as the girl maintains her proximity by climbing onto his lap. "And Tohno-san, It is unacceptable to fall asleep here. What were you thinking?"

"... Sorry Fujou-san." The boy replies in a mild-shock, "It wont happen again."

She continues to glares at him – but her gaze softens a moment later. "As long as you understand, Tohno-san." She says with a smile. The boy looses a breath in relief – and the girl gives no intention of getting off. Instead, she squirms around as if settling in-

"Kohaku-!"

"Ufufu, -chan," the amber-eyed girl giggles as she carefully enunciates his last name. "You still are really easy to tease. You gotta work harder to become a real man, Tohno-chan." Having said what she wanted to say, she nods and slips off his lap.

With the severity of a knight, the boy nods... and then pauses. "Oi, Kohaku," he calls out, "Why are you still calling my by my last name?"

Had it been another person, he would've accepted the formality with the grace of his lineage – but it isn't. They are two individuals who, after years of being 'family' yet not exactly, had decided to move on to the next step. So the use of his name isn't foreign to her – but not in this situation.

Not as her lover.

Kohaku stiffens in surprise. Hiding her face behind her hands, she says with a mocking tone, "Ara ara Tohno-chan, you really are blunt." But like the sun on a cloudy day, the boy could see the goofy smile that she had tried to hide.

He can't help it. The boy smiles too, as if saying 'Well, what did you expect?'

"But," Kohaku giggles, unable to put up the charade any longer, "that's what I like about you, SHIKI."

–

"Hey SHIKI, how do you like my clothes?"

Broken out of his thoughts, SHIKI glances in surprise at the red-haired girl... or, at least where she is supposed to be, as there is a distinct lack of Kohaku beside him.

"SHIKI, are you alright? You've been spacing out a lot today." She calls out from in front of him, a few feet away.

"I'm fine," SHIKI replies as he stops, "I just got a lot on my mind, that's all." Turning to face her, he smiles to let her know everything is alright.

For the last ten minutes, he had been preoccupied with his thoughts – of her. SHIKI and his sister, Akiha, had practically grown up with the elder Kohaku Fujou and her twin sister. They had met during one of their father's corporate parties, got along pretty well, and had to be separated by a metaphorical crowbar.

Though he hadn't realized it then, he had already fallen for her. It hadn't been until high school that he acknowledged his feelings, that SHIKI Tohno 'likes' Kohaku Fujou. And then, it hadn't been until now that he had the courage to ask her out. Their pseudo-familial connection had been partly to blame for that – it just didn't seem right to ask his '_onee-san_' out on a date (his best friend, and pseudo-brother, however apparently had no qualms about that. He had been the one to get SHIKI to date her) – but there had also been the fear of rejection.

Irrational, he knows, but very possible.

"SHIKI?" Kohaku asks again.

He needs to pull himself together. Getting distracted on a date spells disaster – especially so when the partner is Kohaku. _Get your head out of the clouds. _SHIKI tells himself, mentally rebooting his brain to clear his thoughts. "You look amazing," he offers, saying the first thing that popped up.

She giggles. "You flatterer, you," she says bashfully, hiding her happy expression behind her hand – but her expression hardens a moment later. "But I didn't ask about myself, SHIKI," Kohaku points out imperiously, "I asked about my clothes."

When he tries to admit they look fine, she lets out a menacing "Ho~". Swallowing back a dry globule of spit, he discreetly takes a short pause and uses that to carefully examine his girlfriend's clothes. They aren't exotic or flashy, though they had still stunned the boy. She is wearing a blue sundress and a white cardigan; her feet are bound in a pair of white high heels, and her hair is bound up with a white ribbon.

After a careful pause, SHIKI admits, "They look great."

"Yay," Kohaku happily says, skipping back to his side, "SHIKI complimented me (heart sign)"

And... he face-palms. Though he does not know how she managed it, Kohaku had actually said that heart out loud. It's one of her hundred special skills, or so she had told him. Regardless, she had been pacified – and his body is no longer in any danger. Nodding to himself a silent job-well-done, SHIKI smiles as well picking up his pace.

"Yeah, it's better than that brown kimono you always wore."

"?" _What did I say? _Even he is surprised. It had been a mere after-thought, something that had bubbled to the forefront of his mind and should have stopped there. Instead though it had leaked past his lips.

"?" He could hear her surprise. Quietly glancing at her from the corner of his eyes, SHIKI sees her staring back. With dull, lackluster eyes.

A shiver runs through his body. The image of that girl flashes in his mind as she asks slowly, in a voice that lacks all her usual inflections. "What kimono?"

Everything slows to a standstill.

Stopping in his tracks, SHIKI completely turns 'round to confront her – and somewhere, a set of bells begin to ring. _Dong... Dong..._ they proclaim. "That brown kimono that you always wore to work...?" he asks aloud, both to himself and to his lover.

Those dull eyes blink slowly; and when they open again, that warmth so familiar to him is back. "Ehh, SHIKI-chan, I haven't worn a kimono since we were kids."she says giving him a worried, if curious, look.

_That's right_, SHIKI realizes as he releases a breath he didn't know he had been holding, _Kohaku's right. It's been years since I saw her in a kimono_. And almost immediately, an image of Kohaku dressed in one flashes before his eyes. A blush fights its way to his cheeks. The situation is already awkward; no need to make it worse!

Scratching the back of his head, he awkwardly apologizes, "Err, I'm sorry. I don't know why I said that."

"That's fine, that's fine SHIKI," Kohaku replies with her usual grin, "You're just tired, that's all." And then, as if a thought has come across, she smiles slyly. And SHIKI shivers again, though this time for a different reason. "Ufufu, is there something you like to tell me, SHIKI-chan? Like what you want to do, or like a certain... fetish?"

She's laughing. She's definitely laughing behind that mischievous smile of hers!

He very nearly childishly screams. Nearly. He had to clench his teeth together, but the childish scream does not leave his throat. For one matter, it would ruin the image he had set up for himself... but more importantly, it would be more fuel for Kohaku's teasing. Hiding his embarrassment beneath a calm face, SHIKI raps his knuckles on Kohaku's forehead.

It makes a pleasant _bonk_, admittedly.

"Ow," she whimpers as she comically covers her forehead. There are even tears in her eyes. "Why did you do that for, SHIKI?"

"Just drop it," SHIKI responds coolly, retracting his hand as he speaks. Giving her a glare as she pouts, he asks, "Where do you want to go? I've got a few places lined up, but if there's any place that you really want to go, then just tell me."

"Ehh?" Kohaku stares disbelievingly, the sort of expression that one gets after dropping a rather life-changing sentence. While his question might have been new to her, it doesn't – or at least, shouldn't – qualify under those terms. But upon seeing his seriousness, she bursts into a broad grin. "Though you certainly were polite, there's no where in particular that I want to be." she skips ahead, her dress fluttering after her, "So you can decide then, SHIKI."

SHIKI grins, and quickly he matches her stride. "Let's go then," he announces cheerfully, as he slips his hand into hers. Her response is immediate; she stiffens in shock, freezing in place just as her foot is about to lift off the ground. She stares at their intertwined hands in stunned silence – Did I overstepped a boundary somewhere? SHIKI wonders, dropping his grin as he stares at her stunned face.

But, as if answering his unspoken question, Kohaku soon smiles and gives his hand a small squeeze. She giggles as he turns away from the park, his own goofy grin back on his face. There's no point of worrying over the past, he decides, not when she's here beside me.

But ever so softly, the ringing of a bell could be heard.

–

Contrary to her earlier words, Kohaku _had_ forcibly taken charge of their date. They had visited a variety of places: a pet store, some food stalls, an arcade, an apothecary... Admittedly though, they _are _places that SHIKI had planned to go. Just not at that hectic pace.

And the clouds had recently cleared, revealing a blue sky that seems to stretch forever. It is a pleasant mid-Spring day – where the air has neither the chill of winter, nor the overbearing heat of summer; where sprouts and buds are beginning to grow and blossom; where the city itself seems to thrum with a pleasant sort of energy.

"Here you go," SHIKI says not unkindly, as he hands over his recent spoils of war. From a vendor some dozen of yards away, he has purchased a pair of crepes; one for him and one for her. And, he is not going to do anything cliché, such as tricking her to share a bite or anything else that probably only occurs in a romance comic.

"Thanks SHIKI," With her ever present smile, Kohaku reaches over to accept the pastry – only to miss it completely. It falls to the ground silently and various bits of dough and fruit splatter over their legs. SHIKI stops his surprise shout and stares at it. The radial pattern of the cream, the positioning of the dough and assorted fruits – he wonders why, but its resemblance to a corpse is strong.

"I'm sorry about that," Kohaku frantically apologizes as she hops onto her feet. SHIKI snaps out of his thoughts.

"It's alright, you didn't mean for that to happen," SHIKI denies her apologies, as he absently brushes off the pastry splattered over his jeans. "But is something wrong? Normally you have really great hand-eye coordination."

"..."

She remains silent, and he shivers; though he might have imagined it, there had been a victorious, malicious even, glint in her amber eyes. As if she were silently declaring her victory – though it could have been his imagination. Standing up, SHIKI announces, "I'm going to get some more napkins, and another crepe. You want the same right? Well, be right baaack – hnngh?"

Kohaku, who had been silent and unmoving, had suddenly, but gently grabbed his shirt sleeve. Turning around to look at her, he sees her pleasant smile still on her face. He tilts his head quizzically, waiting for her to speak. It doesn't take long though, as but ten seconds later she says, "That's alright SHIKI."

"But-"

"That's alright, SHIKI," she cuts him off instantly, placing her index finger a centimeter from his lips, "there's no need to pay for another one, when we still have another one."

Her amber eyes shift downward, and SHIKI instinctively lowers his gaze. There, in his hand, is the other crepe he has forgotten about. Stepping back, SHIKI tries to offer the snack to his girlfriend. "Here," he says, moving to turn around, "I'll go get another one."

Denying his offer with a shake of her head, Kohaku pouts. "Do you take me for a glutton, SHIKI-chan? That I will willingly starve my boyfriend? I am disappoint if you believed so."

She takes his free hand in hers and says, "We'll share it; how about that?" and then she _smiles_.

SHIKI Tohno has experienced a good number of dates in his seventeen years of living; some went well, others... not so well. But all of them – perhaps unjustly and cruelly so – have been casual get togethers with the opposite sex. But still, he has managed to pick up a good number of advice, and acquired a healthy resistance at some of the things thrown his way.

He is fairly confident that he could resist the infamous puppy-dog eyes for a minute before he breaks. But that smile – that smile is just unfair.

Blushing furiously, SHIKI nods his head in acquiesce. "Sure," he blankly says, even as Kohaku takes the first, and dainty bite.

"Yum," she says, shutting her eyes in food-induced bliss. She's teasing him. She's definitely teasing him! The way she licks her lips, how her eyes crinkle in delight, her smile widening – she's most definitely teasing him!

And it is working. Unable to draw his eyes off her, SHIKI slowly raises the snack to his mouth and then bites into it.

It's good.

"That was delicious, SHIKI," Kohaku happily chirps, licking her lips with obvious pleasure. Having finished the small snack, the pair are once again holding hands as they wander about.

"Yeah," SHIKI says, smiling as he does so. "So, is it my turn to lead or do you still want to?" he asks humorously, as the two stop by a crosswalk and wait for the light to change.

"Ha ha ha," she gives a nervous laugh as she nervously scratches the back of her head. "Sorry about that... I *might* have been a _little _too excited," the light turns green and Kohaku hops to attention. She tugs at his hand and says, "Come on, you can lead now -

"-SHIKI-sama."

The words in his throat die down. Had he actually heard that? Kohaku calling him 'sama?' But it didn't sound like Kohaku – a cold, emotionless voice could never fit the cheerful girl holding his hand. _That's right, there's no way._

He shakes his head and tries to ignore that hallucination. "Alright then, just follow my lead." he announces, picking up the pace so that he passes by her. She replies with a humorous "Yes!" and tightens her hold on his hand.

SHIKI smiles. But at the edge of his hearing,

Dong... Dong...

a bell could still be heard.

–

"Hey SHIKI, let's do this one together."

"Alright, prepare yourself, Kohaku."

For any other girl, SHIKI Tohno would not have even consider _this place_ for a date. Well, not for a serious date – loud, a little dirty and crowded with a disdained 'certain' crowd, _this place_ generally is not beneficial towards any budding, romantic relationship.

But for Kohaku Fujou, there is no better place to spend a few hours (and not-so little money).

In school, she is often regarded as everyone's unofficial 'big sister,' even among the Seniors; mature and elegant, friendly and popular, the one whom everyone approached for help – and he is sure that there is a whole fan club devoted to her.

Everyone would have been shocked to see how she had spent, and still spends, her time.

_Their image of her would be totally ruined by this_, SHIKI muses, _Their idol, playing around like a kid in a place like this? Definitely._

The background chatter momentarily increases in volume, as Kohaku is illuminated by a flashing red light. And on the screen in front of her, the words "NEW HIGHSCORE" are seen.

The two are at an arcade.

_They_ are at a _video game _arcade.

Yes, their 'big sister' is enjoying herself with gaming. Kohaku Fujou, a student with top grades, who had once been chosen to give the Senior Representative speech at the beginning of the year (which she respectfully declined, of course), is an avid gamer.

"SHIKI, come on! You're just staring at me again; are you still distracted by how I look that you intentionally lost to me?"

Though she tries to act indignant, her own expression betrays her; it is too cute to even be remotely angry, and SHIKI fidgets as he tries to keep the smile off his face.

It's not effective. "No, no, I was just thinking," he says.

"About~?" Kohaku prompts, "Ufufu, -chan, I hope you aren't thinking of anything... weird. Like, let's say, certain formal dresses?"

Nonplussed at her not so subtle jibe, he replies, "Nah, it's nothing. C'mon, let's try that one next."

"Alright Kohaku, I think we've spent a little too much time in there – and we need to be at other places." SHIKI says, holding her hand as they maneuver through and around the crowd. And Kohaku refusing to leave isn't helping either.

"Couldn't we at least play another round?"

"We can't," SHIKI says, turning right at the corner, "I'll make it up to you later, but for now we need to move."

With his words spoken in an unhurried pace, the two exit the arcade. They had spent just a few hours tucked away in that small arcade and already the sun has traveled a significant distance from before. The number of pedestrians has increased as well; where before there might have been one or two per street, there is now an almost continuous stream of people heading one way and others.

Gently tightening his grip on Kohaku's hand, SHIKI leads the pouting girl into the crowded sidewalk. They weave around, pass by and are passed in return by the many different people who delegate the pair with secondary, cursory glances.

He knows that it is because of the girl attached to his arm that has drawn their stares but the fact that _they _are staring at **his **girlfriend infuriates him to no end.

_Punish them_, a powerful thought silences the rest of its comrades, leaving it painfully clear, _teach them their place. Strike them down. Break their limbs._

Why...? Why is he thinking such things, he wonders to himself, shuddering as if the temperature had dived ten degrees. But the thoughts aren't finished yet, and each new one brings an even darker command. _Kill them KILL THEM stab them crush their heads tear their limbs off rip off their heads bask in the massive fount of BLOOD-_

"SHIKI, where are we heading to next?" Those innocent, sudden words drown out his thoughts, casting them away into a white oblivion.

… What had just happened? He... just can't remember. Judging by the relative positions of the pedestrians, less than ten seconds had passed; they are outside the arcade and holding hands. There's a coppery tang in his mouth and, and something important. Something... wrong. Frowning in contemplation, SHIKI mentally puts it off in favor of answering his date.

"SHIKI, Kohaku! How have you been?"

And he shuts his mouth.

Okay... not the words he had wanted to say – and certainly not the words he _had _said. The frown dropping off his face, SHIKI turns to face his 'little brother.'

"Yo, Shiki."

SHIKI Tohno, Akiha Tohno, Kohaku Fujou, and Hisui Fujou had originally composed the 'family;' they had practically grown up together, knowing only a handful of other children through their parents' connections. That had been until the age of eight, when _that child _had entered their lives. He had been the only one not associated with their father – practically the child of an enemy, in fact.

That had been Shiki Nanaya.

But if one are to compare the Shiki from the past, to the one in the present, it would' be hard to believe them to be the same person. Shiki Nanaya in the past had been a quiet, little boy afraid of his own shadow, unwilling to be in the spotlight; but the present Shiki –

"Sorry about messing with your date, SHIKI,"

-not so much. Well, he is no more willing to attract attention than before, but he has fixed his introverted personality.

"It's alright," SHIKI replies offhand, "your own date was messed with too."

As if on cue, the two Shikis turn around to face the culprit. After noticing the pair, Shiki and his date had stopped by to say hello before leaving for their own date. However, a certain _someone_ had decided that this would be a time for "family bonding."

And that one is walking a few feet back, walking and chatting amiably with another girl – Shiki's date. Other than a few differences – the dress she is wearing is white instead of blue, there is a lack of a hair ribbon, and her eye color is jade – the other girl is a near perfect replica of Kohaku.

Her name is Hisui Fujou, and she is Kohaku's twin sister. But they are only similar in appearance; their personalities are completely opposite of one another. Whereas Kohaku is the cheeky, cheerful and impetuous of the sisters, Hisui is not, being more reserved and quiet.

And it had been obvious to anyone who knows her that she had a crush on Shiki... except for the person in question until about a month ago when, _encouraged _by her sister, Hisui had made Shiki aware of her feelings.

It had been an incredibly awkward, and heartwarming, scene, to say the least... though he can't seem to remember what had happened next...

"How's it been going for you then?" Shiki asks, after giving a small hand-wave towards his date; she smiles and gives a small wave in return – which Kohaku immediately pounces on and drags her timid sister into another conversation. "The date, I mean. Where did you go anyway?"

SHIKI shrugs. "Here and there, really. We just visited a few stores that caught her eye and fooled around in the arcade for a little while. We were about to head out for food when we met you."

Frowning slightly, Shiki begins, "That's not-"

"-really romantic, I know," SHIKI finishes. "Which is why I'm taking her to _that _place."

Shiki raises an eyebrow in confusion – and realizes what he is talking about a moment later. He sighs, "You really are a sappy idiot, aren't you?"

What can I say? SHIKI's smile says in return.

An old fashioned bell chimes, its high-pitched song barely louder than the background. "Thank you for your patronage," a girl calls out as the party of four leaves the small cafe/restaurant. They wave in return, large smiles on their faces (except for Hisui, whose smile is a small upward turn of her lips) before they step back into the city.

""How did you find the food?""

"It was very delicious !"

"It was very pleasant to eat."

"Kohaku-"

"Yeah, the food was really good."

"... Shiki, um, did you really like it?"

"Yes SHIKI?"

"- not that I'm complaining, but did you really had to do _that_?"

"? Yeah, Hisui, it was delicious. Why?"

"What did you mean by that, XP?"

"You know what I mean, Kohaku! Even though we are dating, don't you think spoon-feeding _me my _food was a bit too much?"

"..."

"Ehh! Hisui, you don't need to worry about that! You don't need to do what you can't do-!"

"Nope !"

"You're not helping, Kohaku!"

"Ehh, Shiki-chan, I wasn't talking to you,"_ Bonk_, "SHIKI, why did you do that for~?"

"No, I will cook for you Shiki."

"No, no no Hisui, you don't have to force yourself-"

Shiki desperately explains, slowly retreating from his girlfriend determined to cook for him – and unintentionally send him to the hospital. Smiling at his little brother's imminent demise, SHIKI silently approaches from behind and places his hand on Shiki's shoulder to –

_kill _._

His throat is parched. His insides are burning. His head is pounding. It hurts. It's driving him crazy. It hurts. Please make it stop.

She's staring at _aya again. Why? Why? Why why why? Why is she staring at _ like that? Why him, why not me? Why why why whywhywhywhy?

_Let go. Let go._

Let go of his _ity, let got of his moral_, let go of the fact that _ is his little _.

It hurts. His head hurts. Its burning with a maddening fever, burning, burning, burning him until his body is ash.

Make it go away. Please, make it go away!

_Just kill _. It will make it all go away._

He hears a growl. What's that? What's making that sound?

He's running. When did he start? The growl comes again, a low pitch, inhuman growl. It hurts his ears. His arm hurts. It feels bigger and heavier than usual and it hurts. Why? Why does it hurt?

_Kill h_. _'s dangerous, _ will kill you if you don't KILL _!_

"AA**AaaA**aaa**aAAA**AA AaaaAAAaa**aAAAAHHHH**!"

The boy runs. His head hurts. His arm hurts. Everything of his body is in pain or on fire. It hurts. The beast runs regardless.

There are two people. Two kids. The one on the left is harmless – the beast charges towards the one on the right. Appendage is drawn back for thrust. There is a shout. The beast ignores it, charging towards the dangerous one. Appendage is released – another shout, this time much louder, much closer.

A dark shape gets in the way. The beast doesn't care. The beast does not care, so the beast will go right through. The sound of tearing flesh. A warm feeling, a good feeling splashes over him. The beast stops and pulls out the appendage. It comes out with a squelch.

The shape falls to the ground; there is another scream, much higher in pitch than before. Hearing the pure anguish in that scream, the boy laughs, "A ha ha haha hahaha haHaHA HAHAHAHAHA!"

"Hngh," The world swirls and a wave of nausea washes over him.

"Go for it Hisui-chan! XD" He hears Kohaku cheering as she claps her own hand on Shiki's free shoulder, "And Shiki-chan, make sure you eat it all up!"

With a startled cry Shiki turns towards his 'elder brother' for help. "SHIKI?" he asks surprised as he sees the pained expression on his face.

His contorted expression twists into a rueful smile. "Good for you man; you get to eat Hisui's personally made food."

Shiki's last bastion of hope has just joined the dark side. From Kohaku egging him on with starry eyes, to SHIKI's betrayal, to Hisui's determined gaze, there is no way out from his imminent doom. And you could tell from his eyes that Shiki knows that too.

Clapping his shoulders once more, SHIKI and Kohaku cheerfully depart, leaving their poor brother to the devoted administrations of his girlfriend.

"DAMMMN YOOUUU!"

"Fu fu fu, I feel sorry for Shiki-chan already." Kohaku giggles as she skips alongside her date.

"... yeah," SHIKI responds halfheartedly, staring at his palm with a dazed look.

"? SHIKI, is something wrong?"

"No," SHIKI says, lowering his empty hand back to his side, "it's nothing."

Leaving Shiki to his fate, they had spent the next few hours before sunset window-shopping – which, he admits, had been sort of a mistake. Despite himself, he had forgotten one important thing: anything of remote interest would attract his red-haired date. Puppies, jewelery, televisions on sale, and a set of chains and handcuffs.

_That_ had really worried him, especially when he had to forcibly drag her away.

"Um SHIKI, why did we come here?" Kohaku asks, staring curiously at his final destination. The sky is already a mix of orange and red, and the few clouds are steadily flying towards the horizon. And underneath the sunset, the pair is standing before a brick and iron wall.

"There's something I wanted to show you," SHIKI says and furtively glances left and right. There's no one in sight, not even his body-guard, he realizes with a shock. When had he left? Dropping the missing man from his mind, SHIKI continues, "Come on, let's go."

Spotting a nearby garbage can, SHIKI maneuvers it next to the wall and climbs aboard. It's strong enough to support him, he notes. Making sure of his balance, he vaults onto the wall and beckons Kohaku to follow.

Kohaku sighs in response, but she still grins and climbs onto the trash lid. "Here." Looking up instinctively, she sees a hand before her, silently offering her assistance. With a "thanks" Kohaku accepts the hand, and soon enough the two are crouched together on top of the wall.

"... Tell me again why we are, SHIKI-chan." Kohaku says, not taking her eyes off the building, "And don't give me any of your excuses – why are _we_, at _our _school on Founder's day?"

Crap. She's resorting back to honorifics again! He needs to head her off quick, before she decides to *bleep* him. Sure, it would lower the impact of _that_, but there's no time to waste – not when his *bleep* is at stake! He leaps down into the school grounds without a moment's delay. Spinning around once he makes contact with the ground, he opens his arms wide. "There's no time to waste," he half-whispers, "I'll explain it all later, so you just need to wait a little longer. I'll catch you, so jump."

She stares down at him silently, as if weighing the two options in her mind before she can choose. Though he feels a little foolish, waiting there expectantly with his arms outstretched, he continues to hold that pose, confident of his girlfriend's decision.

Their shadows are elongating as the sun dips lower and lower.

And then, Kohaku sighs and stands up to her full height. "I'll cooperate for now," she says imperiously – and then she jumps. It isn't necessarily a tall wall, but Kohaku's descent seems to be impossibly slow. But his worries disappear as she enters his grip; hugging her tightly, the two spin once, then twice as they bleed their speed. "but for now, I'll trust you." she whispers, her head tucked in his chest.

SHIKI smiles. Grabbing her hand, SHIKI turns towards the building as he says, "Come on, there's no time to lose." Though it is an exaggeration, he believes that they should still tread on the side of caution: there is still the near regular patrol of the janitor after all, and the time needed to pick the locks.

Hearing an affirmative grunt – her head is still encased in his shirt – he quickly made his way over towards the school building, with Kohaku in tow.

Entering the school proper had been very easy; all students, regardless of their grades and levels, should be able to break into their own school. And the janitors are not even patrolling yet; their shift begins at about 6, nearly an hour away. So it had taken them less than five minutes, from breaking into the school grounds, to climbing the stairs.

"Okay SHIKI-chan,where are we going now?"

Might as well as tell her, SHIKI mentally says. What he says aloud though is, "Your classroom." He pauses on the second floor landing, his skin prickling with tension. For a moment, he sees – or thinks he sees – a blur of white and blue, pursued by a cloud or red. But when he blinks clear his vision, he sees... nothing.

A trick of his imagination?

Brushing clear his black hair, SHIKI resumes his climb up the flight of stairs. "?" He could hear her stunned confusion, "Wait, what? Why are we going to my classroom?"

He reaches the third floor – and he's not alone. A pair of figures, blue, shadowy figures, one with a spot of white, and the other with black, rush past him and onto the roof. But there's no one there when he blinks once more. There is no sign of them, not even footsteps. Muttering to himself, SHIKI lightly raps the side of his head with his knuckles.

_Was that a hallucination? _He briefly wonders, making his way down the hall with Kohaku, _Really, what's with me today? Seeing things that aren't there, seeing those... dreams, thinking _those things – _did I hit myself on the head, or something?_

"Because," SHIKI responds, as the two stop right before Kohaku's classroom. Turning to look at his date as a cover, he visually checks out the sky. _Perfect_. "Because your classroom has the best view." He finishes, checking the doorknobs.

Huh... they're unlocked.

"? What are you talking about, SHIKI?"

Slowly, the boy cracks open the door an inch to peer inside. It's empty, so with a dramatic pause, SHIKI slides the door way open and announces, "This."

A small classroom on the third floor of the school would normally have a rather mundane view of the city. But when timed just right, that mundane picture would become unforgettable:

A red sunset, lighting up half the sky in vibrant, warm colors; the blue night, sprinkled here and there with a multitude of barely visible stars; and the city itself, both shining under the crimson sun and twinkling with its vast number of artificial stars. A city preparing for night.

And before it all, SHIKI Tohno steals his first kiss from Kohaku Fujou

Darkness.

A voice wakes it up.

_drug trial 207 has proven unsuccessful, Master Tohno_

The beast can barely hear it – let alone recognize it hears as 'words.'

_A pity. Let him rest for now and continue it tomorrow_

Its throat is parched. The beast is thirsty. The beast needs to drink. It struggles, trying to quench its thirst – but the beast is bounded in chains.

The beast roars, thrashing and lunging against its chains of captivity.

_He's awake Master Tohno_

_Fulfill your duty as a Synchronizer_

… _Yes Master_

The beast roars again as a light approaches. It is not a bright light – the room is barely lit up. But the beast can see. The beast can see the worn stone walls. The beast can see the food as it approaches it.

One food, taller and older than the other, stoops closer into striking distance. The beast lunges, only to be brought by the chains around his arms and legs. Useless noise comes from food's mouth,

_Don't worry SHIKI, you will get better_


End file.
